Welcome 2008

Happy New Year to all you blogo-citizens! I hope 2008 brings happiness all over, no natural disasters, a cleaner planet, little climate change, and world peace.

And, keep reading this blog for my-two-cents on everything around me.

Will be back soon!

I Think Birthdays are Just Overrated…

Today is my birthday (sigh); yet another year gone by!

Though my birthday falls between Christmas and the New Year, which is undoubtedly the most festive week of the year, for me it is certainly not the most exciting day. Well I’ve not been a huge fan of the birthday tradition for a long time now and I’m sure it is an age thing. I somehow do not like the pace at which time flies and I guess birthdays are a harsh reminder of that. Yes, I do momentarily feel happy when family and friends send their wishes or better yet, when someone I least expect wishes me. But somehow I do not like the focus being on me for the full day (without any particular reason!). I liked it when I was younger (mainly pre-teens; I guess it was more about birthday presents then) and in my teens when birthday was more about a movie (and an evening out) with friends, but now I am beginning to get convinced that birthdays are plain and simple overrated. It is just another day – right? (Well most around me unfortunately tend to disagree!!)

Today, like every year on the 30th, started with my family wishing me and a few friends calling up (some quite unexpected), followed by a family lunch (a lot of brouhaha about me adding another year to my age!), and a quiet evening. And, I intend to spend a few minutes introspecting (and listing down my resolutions; yes I still do that…) before retiring for the day (after I finish writing this blog entry).

Well if I try to list things that I accomplished during the last one year, I cannot think of many (what was I doing for 365 days I ask myself yet again) – had an average career run, did not improve my guitar playing skills too much, did not travel much (as much as my wife would have liked!), and did not acquire any major asset worth mentioning. I did take an important decision this year though. After several months of evaluating the pros and cons, I finally decided to take a one year sabbatical starting sometime in 2008. I also shed a few kilos, started maintaining a blog site, made a few more friends, and am working towards developing my first web site. Also I think I was generally happier and more contented (about everything) during the past one year than before (but I suspect it is again an age thing).

I am hoping next year I will have a longer list of accomplishments. Maybe (even) more happiness, maybe newer experiences, maybe more vacations, maybe a steeper career trajectory, maybe new and finer guitar skills, maybe more friends, may be…..

Anyways for another few minutes (till the day ends) it is Happy Birthday to me (and Tiger Woods; yes, it is his birthday too!)

My Quest for the Most Modern Music Machine!

Most of my late evening surfing hours for the past few weeks have been spent comparing iPod models and looking for the cheapest deal in the city, and trust me, each time I get closer to making the payment, I am nervous about the product category I am going to buy. I am not the most indulging and impulsive of buyers, so the selection is all the more difficult.

When I started my “quest” for the most modern music machine a few weeks back, I thought what is the deal with so many versions of the iPod being launched? They all serve the same purpose don’t they? People use the iPod to listen to music (or watch videos) right? So what is all this brouhaha about iPod Classic versus iPod Nano? While my practical self (and alas! all the work experience in the technology terrain) tells me that I should go in for the 80 GB/160 GB classic model as it gives me more storage per rupee spent, my gut feel says that I should go in for a 4 GB Nano model as it is much more compact.

Here are my-two-cents on the two models:
Video-ability -- While iPod Classic has a 2.5-inch display screen which makes watching videos so much fun, the Nano version has a smaller screen. Even though the Nano version offers a video option, it certainly does not have enough memory for more than a few videos. I am not however sure if it makes all that sense to watch videos on a 2.5 inch screen!

Storage and battery life -- The storage space and the battery life of the iPod Classic model is its true selling point. With storage options of 80GB and 160GB the iPod Classic makes storing music, videos, photos, movies and games so much more convenient. The battery life is another plus in the Classic model; Apple’s Web site claims it can play 40 hours of non-stop audio playback and 7 hours of video playback with the 160GB iPod classic and 30 hours of audio and 5 hours of video on the 80GB iPod Classic.

Size -- The Nano version is low on storage and battery life no doubt, but is much lighter than the Classic version. The Nano is smaller (as the name suggests!), very convenient on the move, and can hold up to 2000 songs for 8GB and 1000 for the 4GB (which I guess may be enough for me).

Price – While the Classic 80 GB model is available for Rs 14,500, the Nano 4 GB Video is available for Rs 8,800.

Net net, here is my decision matrix: If you are someone with a huge i-Tunes library and value watching videos on the move (for some reason!), buy iPod Classic; while if you value usage convenience (lighter weight) and are primarily buying for music (and not videos) then go in for the Nano version.

For me, Nano it will be... for it is easier on the pocket and in the pocket (pun intended)!

My Yet Another Baby Step in Blogosphere

I just launched another blog site called Renewable Energy India, a blog dedicated to renewable energy and environment, something close to my heart. I envision the new blog site to play the role of a “consigliere,” and present news, views, and my analysis on the development of renewable energy in India…

Carbon Trading – A Great Opportunity….But What about Ethics?

Being from a renewable energy world, I (and am sure many like me) have been following the recent developments in the “climate-politics” arena closely. And like many other clean energy lovers, I have a lot of hopes from the ongoing discussions in Bali (which conclude this Friday) that are aimed at setting an agenda and deadline for negotiations leading to a global warming pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol at the end of 2012.

For readers who are new to the climate change terrain, the global community led by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (now headed by RK Pachauri) agreed upon the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 (ratified in 2005) where 38 industrialized/developed countries (US and Japan were two key countries that stayed out of this; incidentally US is the biggest greenhouse gas emitter!) agreed to reduce their emissions by 2008-2012 to an average of about 5% below their 1990 levels. The developing countries were exempt from targets at Kyoto. According to the Protocol, to bring down their emissions, the developed countries can trade carbons in an international exchange, jointly implement projects within the developed country community, or buy credits by funding projects (through clean development mechanism, or CDM) that reduce emissions in the developing countries. The current talks in Bali are expected to draw up the post 2012 plan.

The conventional wisdom in India on CDM-based funding is that it is the best thing to happen to the Indian renewable energy arena, as the projects (mainly solar, wind, small-hydel, waste-heat conversion, aforestation, energy efficiency, cogeneration, etc.) now have another source of funding through CDM. The NGOs are gung-ho on the concept, the ministry is bending backwards to ensure we have a smooth process to bring “carbon money” to India, the financial institutions are more-than-ready to structure such projects.

I however feel the CDM mechanism is not ethical. Why should developed countries (such as US, EU and Japan) continue to contribute more than their share of global carbon emissions by buying ‘cheap’ carbon credits in developing countries? At best they should trade emissions among themselves!

According to a recent study, the annual per capita energy consumption in India is 0.53 tonnes of oil equivalent per person, and the average per capita electricity consumption in India is about 450 kWh per year — less than 1/5th of the world average and 1/30th of the US average! The volumes of certified emission reductions of carbon dioxide (CERs) recorded annually by the UNFCCC (UN agency regulating the emission reduction) are 174 million tones; and the price for CERs is “engineered” at less than $20 per CER. Researchers indicate that if the developed countries had to meet their Kyoto targets, the economic cost incurred by the US would be $32 billion, by the EU would be $14 billion and for Japan it would be about $6 billion. This would indicate costs of reduction ranging from $41 to $55 per tonne of CO2. This is more than double the existing price of the CERs!

India (along with China) is actively participating in CDM activity with approx 300 projects with 28 million CERs registered per year. Most of these projects allow the industrialized countries to pick up the low hanging fruits at the cheapest price.

So in effect we are allowing the developed countries to keep polluting the climate by selling our carbon credits. And, we are not even making enough money in the process! So, is promoting CDM a smart opportunistic move or poor judgment? I leave the decision to the reader…

The 90-10 Magic Formula…

I guess I am again in my gyan mode today.

I work for an organization where the average age is to the south of 30 years (I skew the average in the wrong direction though). Every day I witness young 20-something folks (and often much older and much more experienced colleagues!!) cursing and complaining about their manager being rude to them, inadequate compensation hike, getting a "ding" at the recent promotion interview, general work environment, delayed cabs, traffic on the road, etc. I can see people generally getting stressed about everything around them. Though I don’t consider myself a “monk” who is at total peace with himself (I am sometimes grumpy, and have bouts of anger once in a while; ask my close friends and wife about it), I think I am generally happy about life and work if I compare myself with the majority of people around me (I am confident my colleagues at work can vouch for that). One mantra that has helped me bring more sanity to my life is the 90/10 principle. Though I read about it only recently, I have believed in the concept for several years now.

The principle is simple – 10% of life is made up of what happens to you, 90% of life is decided by how you react.

Let me double-click on it. People have no control over the 10% of what happens to them. We can not stop the manager from having a bad day at work (and therefore becoming his punching bag), the cab guy starting out late, it being really hot outside (therefore the air-conditioning not being effective). We have no control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different. We determine that by our reaction. Do we get upset about the cab guy not showing up at work and then due to frustration pick a meaningless argument with a cab-mate on the way. And therefore come to work with the grumpy face, and generally feeling bad about everything. Do we get upset about sloppy air conditioning, and say something silly (that we may repent later) to the administration person in the office, that gets reported to the office head. We can not control red light, traffic on the road, rising mercury, but we can certainly control our reaction.

Though I know the principle seems fairly crazy, and straight out of some third-rate self help book, it has really helped me. One ground rule that I often keep at the back of my head is “responding and not reacting to situations, and evaluating if the situation falls in the 10% category or the 90% category.”

I have seen this principle being adopted (in some form or fashion) by various spiritual groups (such as the Art of Living; which prescribes that people should smile in every situation, and react with a calm mind), management leaders (several self-help books prescribe a quick root-cause analysis of situation to evaluate if that merits your energy), and gurus (who advise that people count up to ten, think about the problem, and then react accordingly).

For the current generation however I think the mathematical version works the best – we should be on a lookout for those “10% situations” before stressing out and letting someone or something ruin our day.

Small News, Big Message

A news item that caught my attention this morning was the announcement that Harish Hande has been selected as the Social Entrepreneur of the year. Unfortunately though, the news was hidden on the 21st page in the newspaper (Hindustan Times)! The 2007 Social Entrepreneurship Award has been conferred on Harish for his firm’s (SELCO) social contribution through dissemination of solar energy in the villages in Karnataka and Kerala, while operating in the profit-oriented mould.

Having been a renewable energy person in my earlier life and having worked in a non-profit organization (NPO) for several years, I have tremendous respect for Harsih Hande and his single-minded focus to provide solar lighting in rural India. Harish has a top quality tech mind (PhD from MIT in solar energy), astute business sense (he has figured out a way to make money in the renewable energy arena; the "holy-grail" of renewable energy), and a wonderful and humble persona (met him a couple of times during my tenure in the NPO).

In 1993, Harish co-founded SELCO, the first rural solar service company in India. With its headquarters in Bangalore, SELCO has 25 branches in Karnataka and Gujarat. Harish has pioneered access to rural solar electrification for below-poverty-line families through a combination of customized home lighting systems, innovative doorstep financing, and an understanding of market needs of different user groups (for example, solar lights on miner caps for mid wives and rose sellers). Newspaper reports highlight that thus far the company has reached out to 80,000 families (mostly in the remotest of villages) across Karnataka, Kerala and Gujarat. In these villages, solar electrification has led to everything from better education outcomes for children who can now study at night to increased livelihoods from night time vegetable vendors.

This is not the first award for Harish/SELCO (and hopefully not the last), but the message that this award sends is extremely important – that enterprises can make money while serving the society. Hopefully this will encourage more young business-people to take up projects that help the down-trodden, projects that really make a difference in rural India.

Hats-off to you Harish!!

Delhi Rocked (quite literally!) Yesterday

We woke up last night at 4:40 AM quite shaken up (in the literal sense of the word) due to an earthquake. I jumped out of the bed as windowpanes rattled, furniture shook, and the ceiling fan swung like a pendulum. Even though we have a ground-floor apartment, the rattle was quite a bit. I can imagine the plight of (and sympathize with) folks living in high rise buildings.

The experience was quite scary!

Per the morning news, the epicenter lay on the Delhi-Haryana border, 10 km from Bahadurgarh (dangerously close to the capital). Even though the Met Department described the earthquake (measured 4.3 on the Richter scale) as “light,” it was enough to initiate a debate on Delhi’s preparedness for a natural disaster (which I think is quite pathetic).

Found the following earthquake safety tips on the net. The figure above shows that Delhi-NCR falls in the moderate to high-hazard zone, so please absorb the Dos and Don’ts.

1. If you are indoors, duck or drop down to the floor. Take cover under a sturdy desk, table or other furniture. Hold on to it and be prepared to move with it. Hold the position until the ground stops shaking and it is safe to move. Stay clear of windows, fireplaces, woodstoves, and heavy furniture or appliances that may fall over. Stay inside to avoid being injured by falling glass or building parts. If you are in a crowded area, take cover where you are. Stay calm and encourage others to do likewise.

2. If you are outside, get into the open, away from buildings and power lines.

3. If you are driving, stop if it is safe, but stay inside your car. Stay away from bridges, overpasses and tunnels. Move your car as far out of the normal traffic pattern as possible. If possible, avoid stopping under trees, light posts, power lines, or signs.

GOAL misses the goal!

Saw Goal today (first day, second show). Frankly, I went with high expectations from the film (based on the promos), but came back somewhat disappointed. Director Vivek Agnihotri has tried hard to create a Chak-de-India type storyline with a Lagaan kind of sentiments. Sadly he has failed at both.

The story is about an English premier league club – Southhall United, which is going through a really bad phase. It is bankrupt, has no star players, no coach, no sponsors, no spectators and no owner. The club faces a sure eviction due to a City Council notice, unless the club management pays 30 million pounds, which the club can only manage by winning the premier league. Shaan [Arshad Warsi] takes up the challenge to save the club from almost-certain closure. He ropes in Tony Singh [Boman Irani] to coach the motley (and out of shape) group of Asians. Sunny [John Abraham] dreams to play for England but is not selected by his club due to racist reasons. Sunny and Shaan never see eye to eye, while Shaan’s sister Rumana [Bipasha Basu] adores Sunny (what else could the hero and heroine do?). Tony convinces Sunny to play for Southall United, but it takes a while before Shaan and the team accepts him as a part of the team. With Sunny joining Southall United, the team gradually starts climbing the league points tally. The City Council is worried. Johny Bakshi [Dalip Tahil], a commentator and a frontman of the Council, lures Sunny away from Southall United, but then in the final match, Sunny predictably re-joins the group and the team wins the league.

The first half of the film is quite predictable (in fact I saw my watch twice in the first half). Though the narrative is very average, the sequence prior to the intermission, at the Manchester United Stadium, is striking, and sets up a marginally better second half. The drama gets better post-interval. Net net, the story is quite simple and predictable, and the camera work and screenplay very average. Though the music is nothing-to-write-about, the anthem Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal has powerful music, and Billo Rani, which is a totally out-of-place mujra, is quite catchy.

I thought Arshad was the “Man of the Match” (strangely though he did not show up at most of the promotion events/TV programs). John looks right for the part, and was the only one in the team who looked anywhere close to a pro. Bipasha did not have any meaningful role. Boman Irani, as always, was brilliant.

Overall, a very average film. If you are a film buff, see it for time-pass. For others, I think it is avoidable.

Sabbatical @ 35!

As I inch towards completing 11 years of work life sometime early next year (and after 5 jobs, 8 titles, 13 bosses, 9 office locations, and a zillion kms of driving to work), I have been thinking about taking a sabbatical from work. I am nowhere close to the top-management, so I would not say that I may lose a CEO-position because of the one year break, but it surely may have some career implications (and a lot of financial implications).

For the uninitiated, a sabbatical is a period away from your normal routine - a time to immerse yourself in a different environment, a chance to see your life from a different perspective. This may be a world tour, going back to school, voluntary work in another country/state, or just back-packing. The whole idea of a sabbatical is to slow down the pace of your work life, sit back and think about where you are heading (from another perspective, in another environment), and hopefully, energize for the next phase of the rat-race! Here is a definition I found on the Internet – “Sabbaticals are not vacations, but carefully planned periods of time devoted to study, reflection, rest, and renewal.” Luckily I work with a company that allows employees (with a certain minimum tenure) to take a year off to re-skill/go-back-to-school with a same-level-absorption guarantee. The company also is willing to evaluate the possibility of funding the re-skill initiative if it benefits the business.

Here is what I am thinking through as I initiate the plan for a one year sabbatical. Fellow bloggers, your views are welcome as I take this decision.

Positives:
- Reflect upon where my life is going (no I do not want to sound like a character in a Robin Sharma book, but I think this looks cool as the first advantage!)
- Re-skill by going back to school (and seek sponsorship from the company)
- Relax, recoup, redevelop yourself and take a needed and deserved break

Open Questions:
- Why do I need a sabbatical (just because my company offers a one year sabbatical/go-back-to school option, it is not a great idea to undergo one full year of penury, and torture in some class-room somewhere)
- Who will pay my loans (read: do I have enough savings? Or will my wife be generous enough?)
- What about my wife’s career? (going on a sabbatical alone is a great idea, but I am not sure I can do that)
- What about the opportunity cost of not working for a year?

I will appreciate views and comments from fellow bloggers (preferably the ones who have been through this thought process…) on other benefits and risks of a one year sabbatical. Ideas on what I could do during this one year are also welcome.

Shame on the Biggest Democracy….

One news item that really disturbs me each day as I pick up the newspaper is the sham-of-a-democracy in Nandigram. It is sad that the state government is not paying any heed to the red-terror on the streets of the town. The irony is that CPM is doing all this to acquire land for a foreign company (under the controversial SEZ policy) to set up a chemical plant (what about the Left’s constant clamor about anti-capitalism?).

Nandigram is a rural area in Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal. It is located about 70 km south-west of Kolkata, on the south bank of the Haldi River. The West Bengal government recently decided that the Salim Group would set up a chemical hub at Nandigram under the SEZ policy. This lead to resistance by villagers, and clashes with police that left 14 villagers dead, and accusations of police brutality. Now however the event has taken a political angle. The Communist Party of India has a strong presence in the area. While it is all for acquiring the land and finishing any opposition (quite literally), the opposition parties (TMC, Congress, Jamiyate Ulema-e-hind)-backed Bhumi Uchched Protirodh Committee (BUPC) is opposing this forceful land acquisition. This has resulted in rioting and killings on the streets.

Shameful however is the way in which this issue is being handled by the West Bengal government. The Chief Minister, after much (intentional) delay sent the CRPF to the area to take control of the mayhem, but the government is making sure that the interiors are still being controlled by the CPM-led terror squads. The BJP (like always) is just adding fuel to fire, and the Congress-led UPA is sitting quiet on the issue, probably waiting to use this against the CPM in the next elections.

This incidence is a clear black mark on India’s democratic ideology, as thousands of people are being deprived of their basic right – the right to live. Wake-up Supreme Court, Governor, and the Political Parties and read Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, just in case you have forgotten about this little clause that confers the right-to-life.

OSO-Total Paisa Vasool Film…

Watched Om-Shanti-Om today. Did not go with much expectations (as I am not a big fan of Farha Khan, Karan Johar type films), and to be true, was not really disappointed as I walked out of the theatre. The film seems to be a good mix of Karz and Karan-Arjun rolled into slick cinematography.

Overall, even though the story was quite average (a loser born again as a hero), I thought the camera work and cinematography were brilliant (especially Deepika’s introduction scene, the fire-on-the sets scene, etc.), the choreography was amazing (the title song and darde-disco song were great), and the music was catchy (thanks to Vishal-Shekhar).

I thought a little more work was required on the story, which was quite unbelievable, and I thought had several holes in the logic (but aren’t we supposed to leave our mind behind when we go to watch Hindi films?). Also King Khan (with his six-pack) I think looks quite ugly and old. Deepika on the other hand looks stunning, though her role was quite limited. The funniest scene in the film I thought was the Rajnikant-inspired fight sequence.

Overall, the film managed to catch my attention (and that of my wife; who is even more choosy about films) for full 3 hours.

A total time-pass, paisa-vasool film.

Yet Another Crazy Weekend This Will Be…

Though I rarely plan my weekends, the basic agenda almost always is to get the maximum out of the two days (maximum reading time, sleep, music, blogging, and may be a movie). There is however always something that comes up (typically on Friday evening or Saturday early morning) that puts my “leisure optimization” plan in a tizzy! My plan for this weekend was (till about 15 minutes back) to watch O-S-O, spend time at the Landmark book shop to pick up some guitar lesson self help books (my hunt for guitar teacher still continues…), drive to Nehru Park for a music-in-the-park performance on Saturday (where Srinivas – the famous mandolin player – is performing), and spend a few hours playing my guitar, among other things.

The last 15 minutes however ruined it all. Just got a call from my insurance agent that I may need to show-up for a medical test (which may take up to six hours) tomorrow at one of the local hospitals to fulfill the insurance policy requirements (the one I recently bought -- another one of those buys which one repents 10 seconds after handing over the check!). As soon as I kept the phone down cursing my luck, got another call from the car service agency that the date for my third free service expires in the middle of next week, which means that Sunday will most probably be spent at the Tata service station (Damn these Tata Motor guys who have no idea about customer delight – they expect customers to queue up outside the station, often on Saturday or Sunday mornings, to hand over the cars for service! no pick-up, no drop….do not know which world they come from!).

So, yet another crazy weekend this will be…

My Hunt for a Guitar Teacher…

I do not consider myself even an average guitarist by any standards; I am someone who can hold a guitar and play some riffs that sound something close to music to an untrained ear! There however comes a time in almost every aspiring guitarist’s life when simply playing his/her favorite songs is not enough. I think my time has come (it is more of a once-a-year itch!) to take my very-average guitar playing skills to the next level. So I spent several hours over the last three days to search for someone to hand-hold me to the world of “leading.” For the uninitiated, lead guitar-ing (or leading) refers to the use of an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar to perform melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos. Though my search for this illusive gawd-type teacher continues despite several contact numbers and conversations, the exercise has helped me segment the guitar teachers into the following four segments (I have added my two cents on their worth!!).

The show-me-the money type teachers are full-time road-warriors who go from one student to another through the day. They rarely play for any band (because they are either too bad or too old) and treat each class like a commercial transaction (teach 2 riffs per class often from old time Hindi movies). Their target students are mainly small kids belonging to wealthy parents.

The I-also-teach-music type teachers are normal office going folks who picked up some guitar playing skills during their college days, again often several years back, and want to make some money on the side along with their normal jobs (mostly call center and BPO night shift jobs). Their target students are small kids in the neighborhood and people like me who dream of becoming guitarists through once-a-week 45 minute practice sessions after office hours.

The I-teach-music-like-mathematics type teachers associate themselves with some third-rate local music schools (often named after music notes – suur-sargam, sa-re-ga-ma, etc.) that spring up around school vacations. The schools often ask for deposits upfront and the instructors spend the first few months teaching students basic music reading skills till either the students get bored and quit or their summer vacations end.

The I-need-some-regular-income type teachers, mainly full time guitar players in small time (waiting to make it big) local bands, want to have some regular income to buy music equipment and travel with their bands. Mostly young (between 19-28 years old) teachers, often self taught, and very enthusiastic. I think folks in this category make very good teachers as they often adopt non-conventional methods to accelerate learning (to free up time for their own practice). These are however the most non-regular teachers as they are often away for their own rock-shows or music practice sessions.

I am searching for this fourth-category teacher. Fellow bloggers and readers, please respond if you know any I-need-some-regular-income type guitar teacher.

Some Weekend This Was!

The last four days were crazy. There were two festivals; I drove 108 kms (in Delhi traffic; majority of it logged on the Diwali day, distributing sweets); had 3 family get-togethers; had five great (heavy and oily) meals; and visited 4 doctors (nothing serious; accompanied my dad, mom and wife for check-ups and consultations).

The highlight of the week-end though was the India-Pakistan match. Loved Yuvraj’s innings, and admired Indian team’s newfound aggression on the field. Some fitting fireworks post Diwali!

The other great news I thought was Kumble’s nomination as the test captain of Indian cricket team. I take pride in the fact that he was 2 years my senior at the engineering college. I still remember him riding a run-down TVS bike (and no girls as pillion riders – only a cricket kit!!) to the college, despite having achieved a lot of fame early on. Through his career (like his early cricketing years when he was still in the 3rd year at the college) Kumble remained a hard working cricketer who made more news in the field than off it (unlike some other great cricketers in the team). Over the years, though not being treated with due respect (by BCCI – a bunch of jokers) and almost always remaining in the shadows of the big-three of Indian cricket, Kumble stuck to his philosophy of hard work and letting his performance talk. Though he is not likely to lead the India team for long (as he is 37 years old), I think this is a fitting tribute to this great legend.

I am totally tired after four days of hard work (oops I mean weekend).

The Price My Town Pays...

I am one of the fortunate few in my company to have a huge window next to my workstation. In my work breaks during the day, I often gaze out through my window-to-the-world. I notice when a new floor gets added to the bare shell monolithic residential complex being constructed next to our office building. I see huge robotic arms of a crane picking and placing concrete blocks on a commercial complex structure being built across the road, traffic snarls on the road in between, huge dust clouds hanging over the construction compound nearby, and a zillion shacks of workers in the background.

The more I look out however, the more I miss the days when I could see lush green fields, vast stretches of barren land, and cattle grazing on hillocks near by (about 12 months back!). But I guess that is the price this satellite town – the back-office of the world – has to pay to be a part of the India shining (and 9% growth rate) story.

Me, a Bowling Champ!!

Nothing beats unexpected rewards! The gifts are the sweetest when you get into something not hoping to take away anything, and come out with some prize (however little or small that may be).

Just received free movie tickets for getting the highest team score in an on-the-spot bowling competition that my team won during one of the recent office outings (all thanks to a colleague on the team who was really great at it). Never really thought of bowling as a serious game (that is till today...)

And now, off I go to book my tickets for Om-Shanti-Om.

When Doctors Play God…

Recently I had two brushes with doctors in entirely separate and unrelated cases – one for my wife’s injury and the other for my mom’s surgery – and in both cases I came out convinced that doctors are not gods! (Even though most patients, in their agony and helplessness, may want to believe so).

In the former case, the doctor (considered one of the best in his line of practice; just retired from the most reputed hospital in Delhi) advised a major spinal surgery within 5 minutes of consultation, and he convinced us (almost; thankfully) that there was no way out, and that my wife should get admitted to the hospital there and then. In fact, the doctor is so prominent and well-known in medical circles that all subsequent consultations yielded the same advice as soon as the doctors (all reputed doctors in their own right) saw the initial prescription by “doctor god.” Just imagine our plight as we rallied from one hospital to another! After visiting a zillion hospitals we took our leap-of-faith with this one doctor who advised us to take a conservative non surgical approach. And, thanks to that one doctor, my wife was fine without surgery, though it took her three to four months of bed rest.

In the latter case, when my mom was getting operated upon (a minor surgery), the concerned doctor (at one of the most prominent hospitals in Delhi) did not pay much heed to her existing medical condition, and just took a standard course of action while preparing my mom for the surgery (despite red flags from us on her existing medical condition). The “doctor god” simply told us that all has been taken care of and that we should not worry about anything. And guess what, there were complications during the operation due to the existing medical condition, and a 15 minute procedure took over 90 minutes!! (Thank god my mom came out fine after the surgery). The complication however could have been avoided had the doctor taken our red flags seriously.

Based on my sample size of two, here are my two cents on doctors, and how you should deal with them:
1. Doctors are not gods
2. Doctors go by statistics, and statistics can be deceptive (anybody with stats background would ratify that)
3. Don’t be scared to question the doctor. No question is stupid question! Even though the doctor may get mad at you (too bad), get all your doubts cleared before taking any course of action
4. Consult multiple doctors and if you hear contradicting views discuss those with the doctors
5. Finally, go with your gut feel. The body knows what it needs to get better (God has designed it that way), so listen to it

An Idea from Idea!!

The “Idea” advertisement on the television makes me think if one day all of us will be known by a number – possibly our cell phone number. I am referring to the advertisement in which Abhishek Bachhan, the mukhia of a village, comes up with this great idea that all villagers should be known by their ten-digit phone numbers rather than their names (see the advt.). Being a technology person, I guess the recent trend of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC, as it is commonly known) is likely to make this happen!!

For the uninitiated, FMC is an acronym, not a technology. In essence, the premise behind fixed mobile convergence is the ability to offer voice and data applications via a mobile device. FMC is the convergence of wired and wireless technologies into a single solution. In a “utopian FMC world,” the users will require one single phone that can be used in the home, office and outside. When in the office, the phone communicates over the cellular network to the internal PBX or over an 802.11 WLAN. Outside the office, the phone uses the cellular network as usual. (For the early adopters, Cisco, Avaya, Siemens, and RIM, currently offer technologies in this space).

The key practical implication of this technology is that users can now have one phone and one phone number for home and office!!

Going by the fact (and sadly!) that people nowadays call a person and not a place (gone are the days when your relatives would call your home number wanting to talk to the entire family), Mr Bachhan and Idea, the spoof may become reality very soon.

Rapid Cognition, Snap Judgement, Etc.

Just finished reading Blink by Malcom Gladwell (of the Tipping Point fame). The book explains the concept of rapid cognition – the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. Rapid cognition essentially is the sort of snap decision-making performed without thinking about how one is thinking, faster and often more correctly than the logical part of the brain can manage. The book explains that most people use snap judgment (split second decision making) without being able to reason out or without even realizing they are doing so (which is crazy!). Gladwell highlights several cases to explain this point, and to illustrate that the more we learn how to control the stimuli for these judgments, the smarter we get in using rapid cognition to take better decisions.

It is one of those books that makes you aware and conscious (about something – in this case your decision making) for a few days, till you forget about the concept (and the author!), and till you pick up the next book. But nonetheless, an interesting read!

I was wondering after reading the book if I tend to use snap judgment while meeting people for the first time, while interviewing candidates, while buying grocery, or while taking other simple day-to-day decisions. And if yes, then what are the characteristics that make my mind go “SNAP.”

Thanks, But No Thanks Mr Reddy!

The RBI has increased the CRR by 0.5% to 7.5%.

This essentially means that the banks will have to increase there deposits in RBI by half a percent. The RBI will mop up Rs 16,000 Crore through the move. The banks in the process will have less funds to lend.

Thank you Mr Reddy for this little step to control inflation and the dollar-rupee exchange rate. But no thanks Mr Reddy from people like me who have lost the last hope of home loan interest rates softening any time in the near future! 

What is Success?

I guess I am in my gyan mode today!!

People define success in different ways! Most define success as “bigger, faster, better” (for instance, bigger house/business, faster car, or better job). But is success just possessing materialistic stuff? Or is it being happy about what you do and what you have!! My two cents go with the latter.

Success, according to me, is learning how to set and achieve goals, how to measure your progress toward reaching them, and how to balance various moving pieces in life though this journey. It is minimizing excuses, taking responsibility, leaning in to difficult situations (both at home and work) and learning how to overcome roadblocks.

Success is being able to put your hand on your heart to truly seek an answer to the question -- did I give my best effort to today’s activities?

Gandhi Lives on...

A few days back I visited Ahmedabad on a personal trip. Though I did not stay long enough to evaluate the communal and political fabric of the state, a few things jumped out as soon as my flight landed in Ahmedabad.
1. The city seems to be a very safe place for women. Even at 10:30 PM or later, when it can be fairly dangerous for the fairer sex to be on the road alone in Delhi, it was not a rare sight to see girls riding their scootys.
2. The women folk in the city as well as the state (going by my experience in Gandhi Nagar, Surat, and Anand) are fairly bold and enterprising. It was not a rare sight to see women managing road-side dhabas.

The prize of the visit however was the trip to the Gandhi Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati, Gandhiji abode between 1918 and 1930. Its amazing how humbling the experience is, just being there and experiencing the place where Gandhi actually lived. The design of the Ashram, the houses, the verandahs, the doors, the windows, etc. is simple and non-obtrusive, very close to Gandhi's way of life. We met an interesting volunteer (I think his name was Amit!) at the house where Gandhiji lived for 12 years. Amit walked us through the house, explaining intricate details about various nooks and corners of the house and giving us some glimpse into the day-to-day lives of Gandhi Ji and Ba. Overall, the ashram has such a "strong personality" that one can actually imagine (and feel) Gandhi's presence at the place. It is sad that Gandhiji left the Ashram for good in 1930 when he went for the Salt march and vowed never to come back till India won freedom. We (me and my wife and our favorite aunt) spent more than 2-3 hours trying to understand why Gandhi did what he did. I think the visit moved all three of us, and the onward car journey to Anand (a good two hours away) was mainly dominated by conversation around the Gandhi way of life.

Gandhiji once commented - "my life is my message." This seems so true after a visit to the Ashram.

Indo-US Nuclear (No-clear) Deal – And the common man!!

One issue that has dominated the media, and is likely to be a major election issue in 2009 is the Indo-US nuclear deal. As the news channels dissect and double-dissect the issue to improve their TRP ratings, and as newspapers waste editorial space looking at various key implications of singing the deal, what everybody has failed to evaluate is the implication of the deal on the common man! Someone who does not care about Left’s ideology-based opposition to the deal; PM’s will to risk his government to make the deal happen; and BJP’s “zero-issue” (I have not read any convincing arguments from BJP around this; and they initiated the deal!!) based opposition around the deal (or that matter anything done by the Congress-led UPA).

What matters to a common man in India is a the basic need for power supply to his/her house, business unit; and to some extent the assurance that his tax money is being judiciously used (read – not being wasted on untimely elections). He does not care about the three-step nuclear program that Bhaba envisioned several decades ago (that seems to be going nowhere; going by 8-10 hour power cuts in “developed regions” of the country), the Hyde Act and how the new President (possibly Ms Clinton) may use it to arm-twist India (at least that is what the Left feels; seems to be a serious case of severe schizophrenia!!). I am by no means an expert on foreign policy, technology, politics, and economics, but here are my “two-cents” on the deal from a common mans’ perspective:

I see the 123 Agreement as having ideological, strategic, techno-economic angles and implications.

On the ideological front (read Left’s position), the deal may mean that India may end up as “friend” of an imperialistic nation (as far away from the communistic ideology as possible). Per Left, it is fine to have the “imperialist monster” invest money in West Bengal, but it is not fine to be “friends” with the imperialists. While it is fine to accept billions of “imperialistic” dollars flowing into the Indian economy, it is not fine to “shake hands” with the imperialists. It is fine to claim that US is the biggest trading partner, but it is not okay to have a technical agreement with them. The common man however cares two hoots about this. Americans have helped create jobs in the country (read BPOs); they have also helped provide careers to 20 year olds. How robust these careers are and how much exploitation happens in these call centers, and the havoc these play with the social-fabric of the country is a different story (and I am not a big fan of back-office shops), but none-the-less the imperialistic friend has helped grow the economy, creat jobs, and is one of the biggest trade partner, etc.

The strategic risk of the deal as highlighted by BJP and Left is that since the deal will at least theoretically deter India to conduct any nuclear tests, it may risk the sovereignty of the country. Though I cannot comment on the legal technicalities, the experts have denied this and claimed that the 123 Agreement will be subservient to the national sovereignty. But do the BJP and Left realize that if India conducts another nuclear test, how much that may impact the economic growth of the country (due to possibly trade sanctions, etc.). A nuclear test at this point will be a disaster anyways, so why stop the deal because of that. Also, if we don’t buy the technology from the US (there is no compulsion to) and we maintain good relations with the 45 countries on the NSG, there is an outside chance that we may be totally insulated of the US reactions in an “extreme” scenario of conducting a nuclear test. Unless offcourse our diplomacy goes to sleep after the deal is finalized!! Also on the contrary, I think the deal legitimizes India nuclear status. If we miss this opportunity the next US government (possibly the Democrats) may want India to sign CTBT, NPT, etc. thereby sealing any possibility of this deal moving forward. Will India be seen a part of the US-UK tag team post the deal, and will it be forced to tweak its foreign policies to please the US. I don’t think so. India is big and influential enough (and smart enough) to have bi-lateral relationships with the key nations, and have an independent foreign policy.

There are two angles to the techno-economic side of the deal – the nuclear energy techno-economic feasibility, and India’s independent nuclear energy program. On the former, there are all kinds of reports that the nuclear capability will cap at 50,000 MW over the next 20 odd years; India’s entry in the nuclear energy era will push up uranium prices; nuclear power will be 6-7 cents per unit (as against coal/gas based power at 2-4 cents), the technology is not stable, etc. India is doing well to run its nuclear energy program under the current NSG sanctions. But the existing nuclear power stations are running at a low PLF due to inadequate and low-grade uranium, and the fast-breeder Thorium based power generation is still a few decades away (the three step nuclear program proposed by Bhaba envisions – stage 1: heavy water-based plans run on uranium; stage 2: fat breeder based reactors based on plutonium/uranium; stage 3: Thorium-based fast breeder reactors). And, the deal does not stop us from working on our three-phase program on the side.

India (read a common man) needs electricity flowing into his house and business, so any incremental electricity even if it will cap at 50,000 MW is welcome. The per-unit cost of electricity is high, but is it higher than no-electricity? If India has to grow at 10% over the next few years, the electricity demand will have to keep pace (at elasticity of 0.8). There is no other way out

Where I feel the PM and current UPA government has messed up is not marketing the scheme to the people of India. But then you cannot expect an academician like Mr. Singh to take up petty political marketing. Nuclear technology is too mundane (and complex) a topic for the common man to appreciate. The UPA government should sell it as its effort to “provide bilji” to a common man rather than “as a partnership with the US to develop the nuclear energy capability.” The UPA should have seen this “beamer” coming from the Left and BJP and should have been savvier in getting public support on the issue. Besides, Ms Gandhi and Mr Singh should have controlled their emotions in the initial stages of the political fracas around the deal.

I feel (since this is my blog, I think I can express my opinion freely), the deal should go through after a legitimate parliamentary debate in November. I hope the government pushes this deal at an opportune time (post maybe Gujarat elections) to give the Bush administration enough time to get it approved from the NSG and the US Congress in time before the US elections take all the focus away from the deal.

The common man can only benefit from the deal. The downside I guess is in the minds of Left (still living in the 70s bi-polar worlds) and the BJP (which will oppose anything from anyone other than itself).

My First Baby Step on the Blogosphere

Hello readers, this is my first blog entry.

Though I had always wanted a forum to convey "my two cents" on what I experience everyday in life, it is today -- the 26th of October -- that I take my first baby step on the Web. This is my first blog entry, and there are a zillion more entries waiting to be posted. 

So get ready for the onslaught!